View Full Version : Where were you?
I don't know if this has been asked, and I looked for a post about it with the search feature and if it has please forgive me for the lack of SA.
So here it goes where were you when 9-11-01 happened? I myself was at SFAS.
I was driving back to the house listening to AM640 here in Fayetteville. Just a couple of miles to go. Heard the first reports that were very confused. It was like "small plane hits building by accident".
Then as I got closer to home they were talking about major damage, clear skies, something strange. Then "another one". Got to the house, turned on the TV and stayed there for the next few hours.
I had just finished taking a CIP APFT and had returned to my Det room. TV was on and my boys were crowded around it... A little while later the second tower was hit.
incommin
09-12-2007, 05:32
I was taking part in some week long training ( forensics classes) on the GA coast just below Savannah. Needless to say the classes were disrupted and learning took a detour for several days.
Jim
Kraut783
09-12-2007, 06:14
I was making up a missed drill at my reserve unit. Heard a plane had hit the tower and we turned on the TV to see what idiot had flown his Cessna into a building.......then everything changed :(
My wife was flying a trip at the time, she is a flight attendant for American Airlines. She got stuck in South America for two weeks at the hotel. It was interesting that the local government was very protective of the many commercial airlines crews that were there, they had the hotel surrounded by military troops.
82ndtrooper
09-12-2007, 06:24
I was in New York city watching it all unfold. We were up on the Avenue of Americas standing on the street corner next to a Starbucks with coffee in our hands after a meeting had been canceled at the last minute that was scheduled for 0830. We heard a jet liner, loud and low and traveling incredibly fast over head then watched it fly into the north tower.
My belongings were at WTC/Vista Hotel which was actually owned and operated by the Marriot group at that time. At one point we tried to hump it down farther, closer to the WTC and by that time the NYPD had cordened off the streets for only first responders. Alot of cabby's had their radios on and doors open and we could stand and listen to radio chatter and radio reports from local channels. The individual that I had the meeting with lived on Park Avenue on the top floor in a penthouse. We wound up sitting on his outside balcony the rest of the day watching everything from atop his building.
Anyone catch Rick Rescorlas piece on The History Channel last night ?
Was driving to the office and my maid called to tell me that a plane had hit the twin towers. I told her he must have been a Peruvian or Colombian Pilot and asked her if she was confused. I entered the office and they all wanted me to open my office to see CNN and what was happening. The embassy was in shock and then locked down.
I had just finished PT at Fort Carson and was driving my wife to the hospital for an ultrasound for our first child. We got to radiology at the same time the second plane hit. I remember thinking "what kind of world are we bringing a child into."
Surgicalcric
09-12-2007, 07:00
I was working at the FD. We had all just finished our morning once over of the trucks and had sat down to watch the morning news before continuing with our shift routine. I didn't see the first plane hit, but the rest of my crew did, I had just sat down when the second struck.
Later that afternoon I was on my way to Fairfax County FD HQ in Virginia headed for Ground Zero with the remainder of the FEMA guys from this area. I cannot express in words the rest.
For those which havent heard it here is the dispatch audio from that day:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/audiosrc/nyregion/met_WTCTAPES_01.01.mp3
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/audiosrc/nyregion/met_WTCTAPES_01.02.mp3
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/audiosrc/nyregion/met_WTCTAPES_02.01.mp3
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/audiosrc/nyregion/met_WTCTAPES_02.02.mp3
Crip
We were living in Utah, my husband still a college student, and I was on maternity leave having just had our first baby. He was four weeks old and I was up watching CNN during a "middle of the night" feeding. I never went back to bed. It was a very odd feeling (to echo RTK's sentiment) to watch what was unfolding having just brought a child into the world.
We were all on a plane a week later, went to DC and saw the Pentagon. My heart was broken.
3SoldierDad
09-12-2007, 09:00
I was on a Southwest flight from KC to San Diego. We never made it.
They put us down in Albuquerque. As we came off the plane and got to the gate's TV monitor we saw the first tower fall and then watched the second fall a little later. Stayed in a Residence Inn for three days and then my partner and I rented a car and drove back to Kansas on Friday. It was strange being in a hotel room for three days simply watching the drama unfold.
Yep, surreal...
Three Soldier Dad....Chuck
.
I thought we had done this before, but I can't find it so:
I was a junior in High school, but I had taken that week off from my regularly scheduled education in order to attend Gunsite 250 Basic Defensive Pistol in Paulden, AZ. That Tuesday was to be our first day on the range, so my buddy and I got up early, and drove in to the range before the sun was up, and listening to a book on tape the entire drive. We got to the range and no one else was there. We waited and waited for anyone to show up and about 45 minutes later the first folks trickled in and told us what had happened. Around mid-day we had a short service and a number of folks said a number of things. Everything was good until they went to dismiss the class and a lady in the back of the room stood up, faced the Flag, and began to say the pledge of allegiance. Everyone joined in and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. After we finished that, there was an uneasy silence for a minute or two before anyone left.
Certainly an interesting place in time.
Blake
Ret10Echo
09-12-2007, 09:54
I was standing in the family room about to leave for work, which proved pretty pointless...
No aircraft = No jumping from said aircraft...
rubberneck
09-12-2007, 10:26
At my desk looking out the window at the WTC as the first plane hit the north tower. It was one of those surreal moments and I remember thinking, did that just really happen? It took a couple of seconds for it to sink in. Lost a bunch of good friends that day.
Airbornelawyer
09-12-2007, 11:35
It was my first day of work in Manhattan. I was on the Metro North Railroad coming into Hoboken when the first tower was hit. I was in the PATH tunnel under the Hudson coming into NYC when the second tower was hit. I went to work for a little while, where nothing was happening but people trying to get information, and then left to join the rescue effort. I was on the pile for the next several days.
60_Driver
09-12-2007, 12:26
I was rolling out of a Fayetteville hotel, going to catch a flight to Ft. Rucker.
As I was walking out the door after checking out, I saw a group of four or five people looking at the lobby TV. I'm a nosey bitch, so I angled over to have a look on my way out. The north tower was smoking, and when I asked what happened one of the guys said, "A Cessna hit it, what a terrible accident."
I was about to turn away when 175 hit the south tower. I just blurted the first thought I had, "That was no accident!". Ended up spending the week in Fayetteville, watching CNN and waiting for the ban on air traffic to lift.
Roguish Lawyer
09-12-2007, 13:51
I was in my office.
I was in college, skipping my 0730 psychology class. My room mate was downstairs doing laundry when he came busting in the room yelling. We turned on the tv and we were watching as the second plane hit.
Three months later I joined the Army.
desertmedic
09-12-2007, 15:22
Finishing up shift change at the VFD. Someone was watching the news and called us into the room. We spent most of that day trying to get permission to go and assist in the rescue operations.
x-factor
09-12-2007, 15:35
I was living at home in Florida working for a software company while my security clearances were processed for my current job. Saw the second plane hit on TV just as I was going out the door for work. Spent the rest of the day at work combing the internet and watching TV trying to figure out what was going on.
One of my best friends started at Lehman Brothers in one of the other WTC buildings that day and had been in the towers earlier that morning as part of his orientation. For most of the day we didn't know where he was. I called his mom to see if there was anything I could do (I thought maybe she might need me to go get groceries or something so she could wait by the phone). She was absolutely hysterical, incomprehensible screaming. I think about that alot.
My friend ended up being fine. He had gone back to his office by the time the towers were hit and he ended up walking accross the bridge back to his apartment in Jersey. He said he saw some pretty horrible stuff though and on the message he left on my machine he sounded like a zombie. One of his roommates packed up and moved back home to Michigan that day. The other stayed on psychological sick leave for months. My friend didn't miss a day.
At my desk looking out the window at the WTC as the first plane hit the north tower. It was one of those surreal moments and I remember thinking, did that just really happen? It took a couple of seconds for it to sink in. Lost a bunch of good friends that day.
RN, Do you have a friend in SF, who's Team was in NY a few months after Sep 11. They were running an abbreviated SFAUC course for the west point pistol Team. They visited ground Zero while they were in NY. They met up with this friend to have lunch. He worked in an Office next to GZ.
He took this Team up to his office to get a better View of Ground Zero. I was there on that team. I'm guessing there aren't to many people who work in an Office with a View of the WTC. That also know someone in SF. I purposely left out the name of the building you worked.
Oh, I was in the Basement of 7th Group HQ. Attending my Range certification class. Mods, please delete if what I was doing on the morning of 911 violates OPSEC;)
deanwells
09-12-2007, 16:44
I was sitting on my couch trying to figure out what time I had to go to work. I called my boss and he half jokingly told me a plane had hit the WTC. Like some people, I thought "oh great, some dummy flew his cessna into the tower by accident", but when I turned on the TV, the grim realization hit me as I watched the second plane hit. I called my boss back and told him to turn on the news.....he had already done so and told me that the Pier was locked down and that I should stay home. This event became the driving force behind my decision to serve. I haven't looked back since. As tragic as this day in particular is, I have to say it lead me to a world that I wasn't expecting, but gladly accept.
DW
aricbcool
09-12-2007, 16:57
By the time I got to work and found out what was happening, both planes had hit the WTC. I spent the next 4 hours trying to get info from online sources that were clogged with millions of others just like me (stuck at work with no television), and talking to concerned customers explaining that we couldn't guarantee anything due to air travel restrictions.
A lady about four cubes over was on the phone with a customer in one of the towers when the first plane hit. Thankfully the customer called back later to let us all know he got out ok.
It was three weeks to the day after my first child was born.
--ABC
82ndtrooper
09-12-2007, 17:03
I was sitting on my couch trying to figure out what time I had to go to work. I called my boss and he half jokingly told me a plane had hit the WTC. Like some people, I thought "oh great, some dummy flew his cessna into the tower by accident", but when I turned on the TV, the grim realization hit me as I watched the second plane hit. I called my boss back and told him to turn on the news.....he had already done so and told me that the Pier was locked down and that I should stay home. This event became the driving force behind my decision to serve. I haven't looked back since. As tragic as this day in particular is, I have to say it lead me to a world that I wasn't expecting, but gladly accept.
DW
And now your a 1st SFG (A) soldier with fins and a mask. Some say there is no Patriotism left in our nation.
Thank you for your service !!
Was getting ready for work, I had an appointment with a prospective client so it was later than usual. I NEVER turn the television on in the mornings, but decided to do so that morning for some strange reason...to check the weather. Flipped the tube on, and there on the Today Show, a caller was talking to Katie Couric saying that a plane flew into one of the Towers. Watching the live shot...saw the second plane fly into the second Tower and I remember literally collapsing to the floor.
In horror, I started flipping the stations...settled on Fox News and didn't move the rest of the day or evening, watching the unbelievable events unfolding.
My overwhelming sadness, and anger, is as fresh today as it was then.
Rest in Peace to all my fellow Countrymen and women. RIP Sean Hanley, FDNY.
Never forget.
The Reaper
09-12-2007, 18:59
I was in an update briefing with then MG Boykin, and the meeting was terminated early.
I ran into Peregrino on the way out and he told me that the first building had been hit. IIRC, I was in his office when the second tower was hit, and made it back to my office to see the towers fall.
I called my wife, who was in the Commissary, and told her to grab what she could and get home before the post was locked down.
My brother-in-law was a floor trader on the exchange with Merrill Lynch and he lost a lot of friends that day.
The Pentagon lost the first three-star killed in action since LTG Buckner was lost taking Okinawa.
RIP, Americans and friends.
TR
rubberneck
09-12-2007, 19:24
RN, Do you have a friend in SF, who's Team was in NY a few months after Sep 11. They were running an abbreviated SFAUC course for the west point pistol Team. They visited ground Zero while they were in NY. They met up with this friend to have lunch. He worked in an Office next to GZ.
He took this Team up to his office to get a better View of Ground Zero. I was there on that team. I'm guessing there aren't to many people who work in an Office with a View of the WTC. That also know someone in SF. I purposely left out the name of the building you worked.
It wasn't me. Would have loved to meet up with you guys and bought you lunch.
I had just come back from PT and chow and saw the initial damage after the first plane hit on the team room TV. You know the first thoughts we had were all about what a crazy accident it was, until we all watched the second plane hit while watching live on FOX News. I remember turning to all of my teammates and saying that we were officially at war just seconds after plane #2 hit.
Later, I was telling everyone how the buildings wouldn't collapse because of the way highrises are built (info from a previously viewed Discovery channel show about highrise/ airplane collisions). Obiously, I was dead wrong. Turns out that the WTC towers used a radically different type of construction from most other highrises.
As the first tower fell, I felt like I was watching 75,000 people die before my eyes. That number was mentioned by a newscaster earlier in the morning. Thank God that those people don't go to work as early as we do. Can't understand why AQ didn't adjust the hit time for maximum casualties.
That night, I took my turn guarding the road out in front of 3rd Group.
I seems to me that many, if not most Americans have forgotten that we were attacked. I have had many friends killed so far and will go over again myself soon, all of us willing to make the commitment to freedom. I wish all Americans were truely behind us.
Prayers to all who have died and all who have sacraficed.
............MDW
The Reaper
09-12-2007, 19:43
I seems to me that many, if not most Americans have forgotten that we were attacked. I have had many friends killed so far and will go over again myself soon, all of us willing to make the commitment to freedom. I wish all Americans were truely behind us.
Prayers to all who have died and all who have sacraficed.
............MDW
Well here's one American family who know the price and are behind you and the boys 100%.
Get some.
TR
Well here's one American family who know the price and are behind you and the boys 100%.
Get some.
TR
Axeman, TR is not alone. There are many Americans who are with our men and women in the military. I wish I could join you in the fight. I, also think, our men and women who are serving now are among our finest generation of Americans serving. I know I am not alone on this.
Hollis
I seems to me that many, if not most Americans have forgotten that we were attacked. I have had many friends killed so far and will go over again myself soon, all of us willing to make the commitment to freedom. I wish all Americans were truely behind us.
Prayers to all who have died and all who have sacraficed.
............MDW
This past week we vacationed with my brother and his wife. She called my husband her hero and while he's had one tour in the sandbox, he's still trying to prove himself worthy to do what you do. Heroes come in degrees and we explained that you guys are the real heroes. I was surprised at the depths of her sentiment given the current climate, but very happy to hear it.
I think there are a lot more families behind you then you think and certainly more then the MSM let on.
dmgedgoods
09-12-2007, 22:15
#
I had just gotten home from work and switched on CNN to catch the news and saw the first tower on fire...and eventually saw the 2nd aircraft hit the 2nd tower..i couldnt believe it but i swear i asked myself "what the hell is that 757 doing fly so low over the city and so close to the towers" as I didnt realize it had slammed into the 2nd tower..
It was shocking....
Brother Rat
09-13-2007, 14:55
10th grade biology class. Wow, that seems like forever ago...
I had just dropped off my Son at elementary school and was at home when my wife called me to turn on CNN(Yes, I was brain damged back then too:o). I saw the second plane hit the tower. Got my shoes back on and went to pick him back up. Once there I had to state on the clipboard why I was taking my Son home. I wrote "Peace of Mind".
I was asleep when the first plane hit, but my Dad woke me up soon after, saying something about being under attack. I saw the rest unfold before my eyes on tv before going to the quietest day of school of my relatively short life. Seems long ago, but I will never forget it.
Monsoon65
09-13-2007, 19:36
I was on my way to Fort Indiantown Gap to get some uniform items. The first tower collasped just after I got there, the second just when I left the building.
I rushed home to get a message that flying was cancelled for the day, but I changed into my flightsuit and rushed to the unit. They were locking down the base after I got on. The were grabbing everyone they could and sticking them on crews in case we were tasked.
I was in Mancos, Colorado beginning a survey for a real gem of a client...
Infantry44
09-13-2007, 22:33
I was in college, eating breakfast when I saw the 1st Tower shortly after being hit. I looked around & noticed everyone else casually eating their food, seemingly oblivious to what was flashing on the screen before them. I got up & walked over, thinking it was a joke/mistake/etc.
I was still high school aged, being home schooled however I was working that morning. Being the last to hear absolutely everything I had thought it was very strange that all the managers were talking about bringing in TVs. I heard the Store manager saying something about how grateful his son wasn't in the military, which angered me, because whatever it was it couldn't be that bad. Just then one of my friends walks up and I ask him why everyone's acting so strangely. He told me that someone had bombed the World Trade Center. I thought that was a bit old hat and said so. At this point he elaborated, and this got my attention. I think that day both united and divided the country. There were those who were patriotic and were grateful someone else was going to serve instead of them or their son, and there were those who went and enlisted. The only claim to my short life having been worth anything is that I was among the latter.
smokfire
09-14-2007, 00:06
I was covering a shift for one of the other LT's at my firehouse who was supposed to be flying home from vacation with his family that morning. We were doing equipment checks when the house watchdesk told us to look at the TV, and we knew it was no small plane. We saw the second one hit and watched our brothers die when they fell. I read a poll on CNN the other day and sixty percent of those that responded thought that there shouldn't be large scale remeberances of 9/11 anymore. Six years and already a forgotten day for some. Must be nice to believe there is no evil in the world and violence of action is never necessary. I'm glad my friends don't think that way.
smokfire
Ammodawg
09-14-2007, 03:38
I was stationed at Pope in a munitions inspector certification course. I came in from a cigarette and saw the news of the first tower smoking, watched the second plane hit live. I couldn't say anything, I will never forget that day.
The next day I ran out of gas being stuck in traffic on Bragg Blvd. for 3 1/2 hours while 100% checks were being accomplished trying to get to work. Cherry Red '64 Impala SS went through 3/4 of a tank of gas while idling.
RIP everyone that passed that day.
Not everyone has forgotten you.
I had just gotten home from Korea 2 days prior. I had been over at UFL. My fiance (now husband) had flown in from Jersey the day before, and we hadn't seen each other for 6 months. I was stationed at Peterson but living at the air force academy. I grew up there, and my parents still lived in town. My mom, ever the news hound called right as we were getting up and said a plane flew into the WTC. We, as everyone else thought it was a Cessna. We turned on the TV just in time to see the 2nd plane hit.
Everything was pandemonium for what seemed like forever. My husband's unit was trying to figure out a way to get him back home to Jersey because we knew he would be one of the first AF units to go (He is a TALCE guy). It took us three days to get him home, and he called me from the back of a C-5, 6 hours later, telling me he would call again when he could and not to worry.
I remember the news stations showing the Old Executive Building next to the White House and smoke in the background, and no one knowing were it was coming from. At that angle there was only one place it could be, and that was the Pentagon. I also remember my mom calling me freaked out because she heard planes flying around the area after everything was forced to land. I went out on my back porch and you could tell it was fighters flying CAP above NORAD. I told her not to worry, we were safe.
The thing that got to me the most that day was later in the afternoon, the Academy started letting those of us that lived on base, off, and we went down to my mom's for dinner. Coming back my fuel light on my car went on so we tried to stop for gas. There were lines everywhere, places were running out of gas, and a lot of places were charging over $5/gal. I couldn't believe that fellow americans would try to make a profit off of the tragedy of other americans. I am still pissed to this day about that.
God bless you all!!
uboat509
09-16-2007, 11:54
I was a squad leader in B 2/35 infantry back then and we were the only company in 25th ID to get to go to Australia that year for an exchange. On 9/11 I was in Brisbane, Australia on a range. My squad and I were all sleeping when the kid who was on guard came and woke me and another squad leader up around 0300 to tell us that "someone had bombed the World Trade Center." I asked him if anyone had been hurt and his reply was, "uhhhhh." I stopped him there because it was clear that he did not know and anything he said would have been made up. I told him to come back and wake us up when he had more info. He didn't come back and the next morning the company commander called us all together and read out the time line of the events. When he read that the towers had been struck we were stunned. When he read that they had fallen we were shocked beyond words. The Australians that were running the range for us s**t a TV from somewhere and we watched the local news.
Back in Hawaii, my wife, who was still on active duty at the time, had to stop going to work because it litterally took four to five hours to get onto the post where my son's daycare was and then she would have drive to the other post where she worked and it would take two to three hours to get onto that post and then after she would drive back up and spend four to five hours getting back to my son's daycare. She did that once and her supervisor told her to just stay home until the wait at the gates dropped down.
I went to selection the following November and then the Q following January.
SFC W
sfrecrutr
09-16-2007, 19:47
I just happened to be in a world history class discussing the topic of Terrorism with a goup of 11th graders. The main topic was the Oklahoma bombing and why or why it shouldnt be considerd a terroristic act. One kid looked at me and said " guess its time for me to join up now."
It was my freshman year at UNF here in Jacksonville, and I entered the College of Business to go to my english class when I stopped and looked at the TV where they were showing the first tower that was smoking, saying that a plan had just hit it. I watched for a minute or two and thought to myself you must be some idiot to hit a skyscraper in New York City. Class felt very unusual that day because we really did not understand what was going on. Then all of a sudden one of the ROTC guys busted in all enthusiastic and said that we are at war, that both the WTC towers have been hit and we should call our loved ones if we have any there in the area. The professor let us go, and I went back to my dorm room, turned on FOX News, woke up my room mate who was from Dubai, and we watched the Towers fall.
I will never forget that day, and am grateful for the people who have served our country since then, and I can not wait to join for myself and serve this wonderful country we live in.
82ndtrooper
09-17-2007, 13:58
I just happened to be in a world history class discussing the topic of Terrorism with a goup of 11th graders. The main topic was the Oklahoma bombing and why or why it shouldnt be considerd a terroristic act. One kid looked at me and said " guess its time for me to join up now."
That must have been an interesting discussion. :munchin
If you had asked Timothy McVey he'd had told you that his actions were justified as a result of Ruby Ridge and Waco Texas. In his mind he was the great American martyr for a government bent on tyranny.
He's dead now anyway. Little thing called IV therapy. :)
brianksain
09-22-2007, 18:52
Was in detective shift meeting.
CID secretary stuck her head in and said "Hey turn on the TV, a plane just hit the WTC"
A minute later the second plane hit.
I remember looking at my watch thinking "It is 9 am there ... no way this is some accident".
I stayed glued to the TV for days.
5th Grp. sniper pals called me a few months afterwards ... they had been busy.:cool:
I was in Phase 2 giving a oporder for bay planning. My CTS (RIP) left and came back and told our team what happened. I didn't belive it since I was still briefing my oporder and I thought he was trying to distract me.
After the oporder, we listened to the radio and realized what happened. We still infilled that night and went to the field.
A few weeks later, I reported in to phase 3 and we got the war time schedule. All of us were like holy shit, it's on.....the schedule had us graduating in November with working 6 days a week into the late hours. That got changed real quick and we went back to the regular schedule.
longrange1947
09-22-2007, 21:52
I was in the 'pits' on range 66E grading a point for the Sniper marksmanship Exam. I was grading point one and one of the instructors said that a plane just hit one of the towers. We first thought it was an accident and a small plane. Then heard differently.
We continued the exam and the course as we knew they, the students, would be needed shortly. And they were.
Was living in Seattle at the time, and was working on a commercial for the WA state lottery. We got off late the previous night, and my call time for that day, wasn't until 12 noon, but I didn't turn off my alarm clock from that other day, and awoke to Lee Greenwood's God Bless The USA being payed on a local Rock station. In my haze, I gave it a thought of, "That's weird", and reached over and turned off the alarm.
I thought about rolling over and going back to sleep, but something in the back of my head, said to get up. I ambled out to my living room, unconsciously grabbed the remote and clicked the TV on, as I turned around and started making my coffee. The TV channel was already on NBC, and Katie and Matt were talking about some kind of plane hitting the building. I thought they were talking about that B-25 that hit the Empire State Building back in '43 or '44.
I then turned around and look at the TV, and saw the smoke pouring out of the North Tower and thought, "Oh shit, that was no small plane that hit." Then I saw the 2nd plane come in and hit the other tower, and thought to myself, "That was NO accident. That was deliberate !!!"
I sat in front of the tube the rest of the morning watching the other events unfold, when I got a call from my producer asking me if I could drive the Director and the Director of Photography, of the commercial we were working on, up to the Vancouver BC airport, seeing that all planes in the US were bared from taking off. They were trying to get out before they got stranded. One was from Norway, and the other from Denmark, and they were to be flying back to Europe for their next job.
The drive up to BC and then getting back into the US was, shall we say, interesting to say the least, but that's another story all together.
gunnerjohn
09-22-2007, 22:45
I was at the Beretta factory Armorers school in Accokeek MD. My department that I worked for carried Beretta 96 pistols. Way too close to the Pentagon. We had just started class that morning when one of the gals from the office came into the class and told us that someone had just flown a plane into the Trade Center. No one knew what was really going on at that time. When the second plane hit, things got a little tense. Phones of the DOD employees attending the school started ringing, the class room phone rang and our instructor answered. It was his wife on her way to work at the State Department. We heard a loud roar over the building, thinking that it was jets from Andrew down the road attending to unidentified aircraft in the skies. While talking to his wife our instructor heard that roar again as she was driving on the road in front of the Pentagon. He heard the impact and his wife's scream as the plane slammed into the building. She continued her drive as far as she could get away from the area. Class was dismissed at that point and we headed back to our hotels. We sat in disbelief watching the news on the events. We got to see Air Force One come into Andrew's and see the extra flight security involved with that group. Later that evening I received word that my cousin was at work at Cantor Fitzgerald on the 104th floor and was probably killed instantly by one of the impacts.
That Friday I began the road trip from hell with one of my friends that was attending a FBI arson school at Quantico. 51.5 hours, 3054 miles from Quantico Va to Springfield Oregon. That included a 1 hour sit down dinner at a Waffle House (we wanted grits before we crossed the Mississippi) and 2 1 hour stops at Cabelas stores in Nebraska. The strangest part of the entire drive was not seeing the contrails of jets in the skies.
I was stationed at Andrews AFB at the time. I got off of work at about 7am and went to sleep. A couple hours later, my dorm chief knocked on my door and told me that the Pentagon and both WTC towers had been hit by aircraft and to call into my unit. I asked him if he was kidding, or if this was an exercise. I attempted calling work from my cell phone, but the networks were busy. I went into work where we had an observation deck and we saw the smoke plume from the Pentagon. That was a very eerie feeling.
Kacy
I was just coming on shift at NORAD, Cheyenne Mountain...needless to say it was a very hectic and emotional day at work.
AngelsSix
09-23-2007, 21:36
Norfolk VA. I was still on AD with the Navy at the time. I was scheduled to go out to a carrier to take some new guys and administer flight deck training. Needless to say, we never left. All flights, including all military flights, were grounded. I was on nights at the time, I had gone home early in order to get up for my early afternoon flight to the ship. As I was sipping some coffee and getting ready to head to base, I turned on the t.v. to CNN. Just then a plane flew into the WTC. Everyone thought it was an accident. Then the second plane hit. I still remember the feeling of shock. I grabbed my bags and ran to the car, drove like an idiot to the base. Once I got there I ran to the OOD's office and yelled at him to turn on the t.v. No one at the base even knew what was going on. Needless to say, the LT ran down to the Commanders office and everyone gathered around the t.v. I remember the Commander ordering all the aircraft shut down and moved into the hanger, all personnel were ordered off the flightline and the doors to the hanger were locked, watches were posted. All the phone lines were jammed, it was chaos.
That day will be burned into my memory forever. Sad that so many others have forgotten already.
Ambush Master
09-24-2007, 16:50
I was in my Office in the American Airlines Hangar Complex at DFW.
We were on our daily Operations Conference Call when someone at LGA said that an aircraft had hit the WTC!!
The call went on as usual, there were comments that how could a light aircraft have possibly hit it!!
We all started tuning in the various TV stations, the video was there!!!
Then we saw the other Tower as it was hit!!
At DFW, we watched as all of the AC (Aircraft) were brought down. We had AC Arriving at an unbelievable rate. They were stacked into every open area. I have never seen AC nested into such a tight area other than in the Military!!
As the AC were brought in, there were F-15s. F-16s, and F-18s (that I saw) flying “Topcover” over DFW!! In the days following the “Shutdown”, I saw the contrails of Fighters and Tankers, re-fueling the Fighters topside!!
There were numerous “Tree-top” level runs made by above aircraft, many at “War-Power” for the next several days.
Once all Civil Aircraft were on the ground, the Ramp(s) at DFW were very strange!!!
Here were HUNDREDS of aircraft, stacked so tightly that it resembled the Deck of an Aircraft Carrier and you could hear Birds chirping!!!
It was so quiet that it was surreal!!! The silence was interrupted whenever the wind blew, you could hear the thousands of Turbine Blades making almost a wind-chime sound as the Turbines rotated and the Blades rattled with a tinkling sound!!
I was in 6th grade.
Our math teacher had the news on every morning, sept this time when she put it on there was a big burning building.
About ten minutes later, the whole school silently watched the second airplane hit the second tower.
Second period, the teacher had the news on, and the whole school silently watched both towers fall.
That's when I got up and freaked out, screaming that the Twin Towers had just fallen, and that someone, somewhere, had just gotten America's attention.
Couple months later, my dad reenlisted. Today, at 17 years old, I'm waiting for my ship date to Basic.
And not a day goes by when I don't think about what happened.
RIP To the fallen.
Thank you to the servicemen and women.
Three months later I joined the Army.
Thank you for taking a stand..
I was standing behind the podium pitching our Organizations and Functions "In brief" to MG Geoff Lambert, who'd taken command of SF Command only 4 days prior. The Chief of Staff walked in, whispered in the CG's ear, and both of them walked out of the room. Less than a minute later the boss walked back in and told us "..an airplane just hit the WTC". Like most others, those of us in the room thought a Cessna or (?) may have flown into one of the towers due to bad weather.
The brief continued.
Fifteen minutes later the Chief walked back in, interrupting saying, "Sir, a second plane has just hit the second tower". The CG looked at us, said, "We'll finish this later.." Then he got up and walked out of the room.
We never did finish that brief...
Those of us in the room walked back down in the basement where the lads who had not been part of the briefing were standing in front of the tube. We watched the replays over and over, in disbelief, and knew that the sh!t was on. Needless to say, we wanted to do something right then.. but there was nothing to do.
A month later I was at the All Harley Drags at Rockingham, when the announcer came over the PA system saying that we'd just invaded Afghanistan.
The guys in the Groups have been going non-stop since. I have so much respect for them that words don't exist to explain how I feel. As a veteran of another war in another time, it's great to be part of it.. I only wish I was 30 years younger, and in the shape I was in back then.
De Oppresso Liber!